In 2013, the filmmaking pioneer used Codex recording technology in the production of
UFOTOG, the first high frame rate (120 fps), stereoscopic 3D film. Trumbull and his production team at Trumbull Studios employed Codex Onboard S Recorders to capture 4K raw data from a pair of Canon C500 cameras, each shooting at 60 fps. The project was designed to demonstrate the potential of high frame rate imagery and Trumbull's vision for a new form of immersive cinematic entertainment. The film debuted in 2014.
Visual effects work was in Trumbull's blood, having inherited the passion from his father, who handled the special effects for The Wizard of Oz.
Yesterday, when new broke of Trumbull’s passing, many throughout the industry shared their memories of this visionary and his amazing work, expressing sadness at his passing.
From ILM: “We’re remembering when Douglas Trumbull came to pay a visit to Dennis Muren and the ILM crew. He was a true icon, and in many ways the godfather of the modern era of visual effects. Following in the footsteps of his father who created special effects for The Wizard of Oz (1939), Doug had an illustrious career in the industry, working on films such as
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner, and
The Tree of Life. ILM will miss him dearly.”
From Paul Debevec, himself an innovator in the field: “I'm very sad to hear of the passing of legendary visual effects supervisor and director Douglas Trumbull today. He was our industry's living connection to the pioneering visual effects work in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and led the creation of breathtaking sequences for
Blade Runner, Close Encounters, and
Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Doug reached out back in 1999 after seeing our SIGGRAPH film
Fiat Lux, and he graciously gave a talk on his work to a packed auditorium at UC Berkeley's Soda Hall when he came to visit. We'd have the opportunity to see him several more times at USC and Google, and I was able to spend an afternoon at his impressive studio and residential complex in western Massachusetts, where he continued to shoot films and innovate filmmaking technology. Doug was an exponent of high frame cinema, earning accolades for his 60 fps Showscan process, and was continuing to develop far more real and immersive cinema systems even into this year. We owe him a great debt of inspiration and gratitude, and he will be missed. "
From Joe Letteri, senior VFX supervisor, Weta FX: “Doug stands out as an iconic figure in visual effects, one of the early pioneers who blended a deep knowledge of cinematography and mechanics to develop techniques that we still use today. An early evangelist of high frame rate processes, Doug’s vision for where we can take cinema is just now coming to fruition. He will be missed.”